


Why Was It Under A Smudge?

by HPFanficClub



Series: HPFanficClub Group Writes [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Group Write, HPFanficClub, One Shot, Potions, Potions Accident, dramione - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27386503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPFanficClub/pseuds/HPFanficClub
Summary: HPFanficClub's Group Write for June 2020Prompt;Draco Malfoy never realized a potion could go so wrong - until he looked in the mirror.Writers;someonesbeenhere, JMilz, Acidflower2973, LeiutenantofSatan
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Series: HPFanficClub Group Writes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2000644
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	Why Was It Under A Smudge?

**Author's Note:**

> Discord server HPFanFicClub do a group write each month where our users take turns to complete a fic starting with a basic prompt!
> 
> If you'd like to join in, follow the link below to join us!
> 
> https://discord.com/invite/harrypotterfanficclub

“How did I get this so wrong?” Draco thought to himself. He pulled out his potions book, to double-check he had done everything correctly.

Upon rereading the instructions, he groaned. There was one crucial ingredient listed in a warped smudge towards the bottom of the page:

4 drops of Acromantula Venom.

“Bugger! How am I going to fix this?” he muttered to his reflection. He couldn't go to Snape or any of his friends. They'd ask too many awkward questions.

He studied the mess he'd made, it certainly wasn't going to go unnoticed. There was only one person that he could think of who could help him. She wasn't going to accept his request easily.

Hermione Granger stood looking at Draco with her lips pressed tightly together. He couldn't tell if she was angry or fighting laughter.

"And you want my help with-" she gestured to generally all of Draco, "-this?"

"Granger," he hissed, trying desperately to keep his voice hushed. "I'm begging you."  
"Oh ho!" she chortled. "The great Draco Malfoy is begging me! As much as I love the desperation in your voice, I'm going to politely decline. Go ask your father Draco, he does a good job of getting you out of trouble."  
She begins to close the door and his hand flies out to stop it.  
"Hermione," his voice softly spoke. "Please, help me."

The sound of her name made her turn around. He looked pitiful. The desperation in his eyes tugging at something inside her. damn it she thought.

She groaned and had a quick glance down the corridor behind him.  
"Fine," she whispers. "Get in here and keep quiet! No one will ever hear about this, understand?"  
He nods enthusiastically and she drags him inside by the hand ... if you can still call it a hand and bolts the door shut behind him.

'Good Godric, Malfoy' exclaimed Hermione. 'What in the name of Circe were you trying to accomplish!' Hermione was studying Malfoy intently, trying to figure what went wrong.

Draco removed his hooded robes to allow Hermione to fully study him.  
"You forgot the Acromantula Venom, didn't you?" she sighed, his embarrassed expression confirming her hypothesis. "I can fix this but it won't be pleasant. It'll hurt and you'll most likely pass out as the transfiguration takes hold."  
Draco nodded. Hermione gestured towards her bed and he swiftly took her invitation.

"Why were you trying to make Borgorgum anyway? You could've burned your hand off if you were successful." 

Malfoy glared at her. "I asked you to help me, not ask questions."

"That's fine," Hermione started, picking up his discarded robes and handing them back to him. "I'll see you in class tomorrow, that is, if your head doesn't get anymore misshapen."  
Draco ground his teeth.  
"Wait, no. I'm sorry."

'Wow, Malfoy. I didn't think you were capable of apologising!' Hermione said in surprise. 'You want my help, you answer my questions. Deal?'

"Fine," he grumbled.

"So," Hermione started again, "what were you trying to do?"

Draco took a deep breath, 'Well, it started as a bit of a dare between me and Blaise'

"Oh yes, promising start Draco," Hermione sighs, beginning to mix miscellaneous ingredients into a glass vial.

'it got a bit competitive, I thought Borgorgum was a good idea. You know what it's used for? It would've worked to, but the last line was smudged and I missed the acromantula venom'

"Borgorgum is a very unstable potion, the venom helps the potion settle," Hermione tells him. "It's kind of the key ingredient to those kinds of potions."  
"Then why was it under the smudge?!"  
"I don't think it was printed that way Malfoy."

"Regardless, it was a good idea," he scoffed.  
"Clearly it wasn't." She eyed him. "What were you going to do with it?"  
"Nothing too heinous," he said, casually. "Do you know that ghastly statue of the merman on the second floor?"

"What about it?" she said, not looking up from the potion in her hands, a small trail of purple smoke rising from the top. She dropped in some sort of plant root that Draco didn't recognise and the concoction hissed and started to lightly bubble.

'it seemed like a good idea, I was going to... ' Draco paused. A look of annoyance flashed across his face. 'Hang on' Draco said loudly. 'Why are you lecturing me about a botched potion!? Didn't you turn yourself into a cat? I heard you made quite the pretty kitty'

"That was in second year, Malfoy," Hermione said. Draco scoffed.  
"So you botched an even easier potion?" he asked, smirking wickedly.  
"You know, I was going to put alabasten root in here to dull the pain a little but I can always leave that out," she retorted, her eyes fixed on him with a narrow glare.

He glared at her.

"So, what were you going to do?"

Draco sighed. "Well, we tried spells but they didn't work, so we thought it would be funny to sort of... melt its head off."

"Melt its head off," she repeated. "Why?"

"Have you seen the bloody thing? It's hideous. Blaise was going to stop there, but then I remembered it already had sort of a...phallic shape..."

Hermione closed her eyes. "You're kidding."

Malfoy gestured to himself wildly. 'Obviously I'm not kidding Granger' he said in an irritated voice.

"To clarify, you thought," she said, slowly, "that you were going to go to the second floor...and melt the merman until he resembled a-a...phallus?"

"You are positively idiotic Malfoy," she said. "You're lucky Snape didn't get a hold of you."  
"I might be idiotic, I'm not suicidal ."

'oh look, we agree on something' she remarked. 'The antidote needs to simmer for an hour.' Hermione smirked at Malfoy 'Tell me how quickly did the symptoms appear after the Borgorgum went wrong?'

"Less than five minutes," he said. "I tried to slow it with a spell but my wand hand--"

"Is mutated. I can see that." She stirred the brew and examined his hand. "The muscles will hurt for some time after we fix this. Is there any pain in the spots on your face?"

'A little, not as bad as my hand' Malfoy suddenly looked embarrassed. 'Granger?' he asked quietly, 'Can you check my back? Something doesn't feel quite right.'

Draco began to unbutton his shirt before Hermione could respond, the burning itch on his skin overwhelming him. He shed his shirt on the floor and turned around to let her see.  
"Oh my god, Malfoy," she gasped, feeling her cool fingertips over him, soothing the burning a little but not enough.

"What is it?" he asked, alarmed. "What's wrong with my back?"

"Malfoy...I-I'm not sure how to tell you this, but you--there's--you have..."

"I have what, Granger?"

She gulped.

Hermione didn't know what to do, what to say. 'I can't do this!' she panicked. How was she supposed to deal with...... that?

"Please, Hermione, it's excruciating!" he begged her. "Don't go, I need you."  
His words, filled with desperation and sincerity, made her pause. Draco was hit with the sudden realization of what he'd blurted out.  
"What did you just say?" she asked.

Pain overwhelmed Draco, he closed his eyes 'Hermione, I need you!' he hissed through gritted teeth. 'Please' he whimpered in pain

He crumpled to her bed, crying out in pain as his skin began to sizzle and burst across his back. Hermione rushed to his aide, partly to quieten him before they were caught but also because she couldn't stand the look of burning anguish in his icy eyes.

"Merlin, Granger. Are you trying to bloody kill me?"

Panicked, she looked from his clenched fists to his burning skin. The warped and blackened flesh was almost the texture of bark, and as the blisters began to pop, it became clear to her that this was unlike anything she had ever seen.

"Is it better?" he asked.

Hermione swallowed hard. "Draco, I'm going to need you to show me the ingredients you used."

"It's in the Advanced Potion Making book," he ground out, his face twisted in a grimace. Hermione grabbed her own copy of the book and flicked through it to find the Borgorgum potion. "I used everything there ... minus the venom obviously."  
Hermione ran her finger down the ingredients list, running each one through her head to find where something could have gone disastrously wrong.  
"And you used a ripened Prospa berry?" she mused aloud. Draco looked over to her confused.  
"Aren't all berries ripe?"

Hermione bit back a sigh. Draco was suffering, so it probably wasn't the time to let herself indulge in thoughts of how useless a spoiled rich pureblood could be. 

"No," she explained as patiently as she could. "Berries go from unripe to ripened - prospa berries become juicier and less acidic as they ripen, so a ripe berry versus an unripened one can make a significant difference in potions. That's why the recipe specifies ripe."

"Well, I don't bloody know, Granger. It was a berry."

"Have you worked with prospa berries before?" she asked quickly, lightly touching the thickened, black skin.

"I can't remember. Maybe in class - "

"We've never used them in class," she cut him off. "I'm worried you might be having an allergic reaction. They're already quite acidic, but if you have an allergy..."

"You'll have to go to the infirmary," she finishes.  
"I'm not going to the bloody infirmary looking like this!" he snaps. He hisses as another bolt of pain strikes his body.  
"First of all, calm down, you'll only make it worse," she says. "Secondly, I think I can dull the pain for a little while until the antidote is finished brewing but once you take it, you will go straight to the infirmary, repercussions be damned."

'Fine, Granger. Whatever, just help....' an inhuman scream wrenched itself from Draco's throat. Hermione watched in horror as Draco's body started to spasm and shudder. Then, just as quickly as it started, it stopped. 

Draco was silent and still.

“What was that?” She whispered, her eyes wide in shock and horror.  
Draco shook his head, clueless so as to what had made his body react in such a manner.

He opened his mouth to speak but in an instant, Hermione was on the floor in front of him a finger to his lips. They started at each other, wide eyed at the new contact, and listened to the sound of investigating footsteps just outside the door.  
They held their breath, waiting.  
When nothing came of it, Hermione dropped her hand and sighed.  
"You are more trouble than you're worth Draco Malfoy," she tells him.  
"Why are you helping me then?" he asks softly, his lips still tingling with electricity where she'd touched them. "After everything, why do you still help me?"

'Why shouldn't I help you? Yes, you've been a bit of a prick, but you're still human. I'd be a bit of a monster if I didn't help.' Hermione answered quickly. 'And you trusted me to help you. To me, that speaks volumes.'  
Hermione turned to check the antidote. A small smile playing across her lips.

The antidote wouldn't be ready for another while yet and Draco's injuries were proving to be more unpredictable than she'd thought. She was sure she had some dulling salve somewhere, it wouldn't cure him but it might help keep his symptoms in check. Draco had gotten to his knees now but his skin was still unsightly. Hermione showed him the salve and moved to kneel down with him,  
"May I?" she asks. He nods silently and she delicately starts to apply the salve to his tender skin. He hisses a little at times but the relaxing in his tight shoulders let her know that it was working at least a little.  
"Thank you Hermione," he says quietly.  
"You're almost nice to be around once you stop using my surname." She finished applying the salve and sighed. "And now we wait."

"I suppose so. It does feel better, with the salve, I mean."

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm really glad, Draco."

"Shame you still look absolutely ridiculous though," she said chuckling slightly.  
"I'm never going to live this down am I?" he groaned.  
"Well, it'll be our secret," she starts "but no, I'll never let you live it down."  
She smirks at him mischievously and Draco found that he liked that look on her. It made fighting the smile creeping on the corner of his lips so much harder.

"At least I didn't turn myself into a bloody cat," he scowled, determined not to show any more signs of amicability. "How long til that potion is done?"

She leered at him. "A long while. If you prefer to wait elsewhere - "

"I do," he growled, "so how long?"

"I don't know, another 45 minutes maybe," she snapped back at him.  
"Fantastic," he sneered facetiously. "I'll see you then."  
Not bothering to pick up his hastily discarded shirt, he wrapped his robes around himself and marched out of her room without another word. Once the door closed behind him however, he exhaled heavily, almost panting. What the hell was coming over him?

Hermione stared at her closed door. Her head spinning with the speed at which Draco's moods changed. With no point in trying to sleep, Hermione made herself a cup of tea and tried to read. After 10 minutes or so, she huffed and threw the book down. She couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept going back to the moment her finger touched Draco's lips and the spark she felt at the contact.

Leaving the sanctuary that Hermione had created for him probably wasn't his finest idea. Draco clung to the shadows of the castle corridors, moving from one to the next. He needed to get out of there, it was overwhelming, exhilarating. He needed some space to calm the thudding in his chest. He touched his lips, still feeling the ghost of her touch lingering there.

He reached an empty classroom, once inside he closed the door quietly. He carefully sat on a desk, hoping some time alone will help clear his head. Obviously the pain and potions were messing with his mind. Stupid Granger. Stupid venom. Stupid Merman statue. 

The burning sensation on his back was slowly getting worse. Hopefully the antidote will be done soon, the pain was becoming more than he could bear.

~~~

The events of the day had seemed like a fever dream. Rarely did Hermione interact with Malfoy at all, yet there he was, asking her for help, being somewhat pleasant--and in the end, returning to his usual self.

She did not know what to make of it.

For a moment there, she had started to let her guard down around him. She thought he had too. Who knows which version of him would come stomping back to the door in 45 minutes time but once this was all over they could go back to their everyday lives.  
Hermione was never going to be able to forget it though.

Draco checked his watch, it was time to get back to the bushy-haired bookworm. Well, her hair wasn't that bad, he imagined it would feel quite soft if he ran his fingers through it. WOAH! Where did that come from? Draco gave his head a shake and made his way back to Hermione's room.

He knocked on her door sheepishly and she pulled it open, her expression twisted with annoyance.  
"Came back did you? Shame," she remarked, begrudgingly stepping aside to allow him back in.  
"Sorry," he mumbled as she closed the door.  
"You know, you really shouldn't say sorry if you don't mean it Draco," she snapped.

'Look, Grang-Hermione' Malfoy started 'I'm not used to people doing things for me without asking for something in return. It feels...unsettling.'  
'I don't know how I can ever thank you. I'm a Malfoy, we don't usually thank people. I'm forever in your debt.' Draco raised his head and looked at Hermione.

"Oh," she stuttered, surprised. "Well, thank you Draco. I appreciate that."  
"Your welcome," was all he could think to say.  
"I want you to know though," she added. "I would never have asked for something in return."  
"Really?" asked, genuinely surprised. Considering the way he's treated her over the years, he was sure she would want payback of some sort. She turned away to fetch the antidote that had finished brewing so Draco didn't see the unsure, nervous expression on her face when she spoke next.  
"I was always going to help you, I would never want to see you suffer."

Draco stared at the back of Hermione's head. Sweet Salazar, why did she have to be so nice to him. If anyone had the right to be a bitch to him it was her.

Hermione turned around with a flagon of the antidote in hand. 'Its ready' she announced. 'You'll want to be on the bed for this. It's going to be painful.' Draco grimaced, but obediently went to the bed.

She handed him the bubbling vial and he studied it a little, his brows furrowing in concern.  
"Well, bottoms up," he said, throwing his head back and pouring the viscous liquid down his throat. It was still warm and absolutely disgusting and he gagged a little on the taste before the power of it started to take him over. His groans in pains were quiet at first but as the potion took hold of him, his body writhed uncontrollably. His groans turned to cries and Hermione rushed to the bed, trying to restrain him or calm him or soothe him. She climbed up beside him and held him while his body flinched and snapped. She stroked his hair and cooed.  
This wasn't what Hermione thought she'd be doing with her evening but what surprised her the most was how tightly he was holding her back.

The pain was like nothing Draco had ever experienced. It felt as if he was being ripped apart and burned. The only thing keeping him from letting the pain claim him, were the small arms clinging to him. As if they were the only things keeping him together. She was talking to him quietly. He couldn't make out what she was saying. Like a lighthouse to a sailor, she was guiding him through the storm. He held on to her just as tightly. Afraid that if he let go there would only be darkness.

For a moment, he thought it might take him. Pull him under. Hermione warned him it could happen but he pushed back against it, hanging on desperately to her sweetly whispered words just beyond the comprehension of his mind. Her fingers in his hair, her hands on his skin, her words in his ear, he clung to these sensations like a life raft until the pain began to slow it's assault on him.

As the potion ran its course, Draco became still and his breathing became steady. Hermione continued to hold him, she began to relax now, knowing that Draco was through the worst of it. Before long Hermione gave in to her exhaustion and fell asleep with Draco's head pillowed against her chest and his arms around her waist.

"Are you okay?" she asked him softly, her fingers still stroking through his hair. He could her her heart thudding inside her chest, almost running as fast as his.  
"I think so," he assures her, she sighs in relief.  
"Thank goodness, I was sure you'd pass out."  
"I think I almost did," he tells her, still not ready to let go of her.  
"What stopped it?"  
"You did."

'Me?' Hermione said, surprised. 'but I didn't do anything. Not really.'

'But you did, Hermione.' Draco muttered softly. And with that he fell asleep. Hermione stared at him. This enigma of a man. The boy she knew, not visible anymore.

She didn't mean to fall asleep, she honestly didn't but the madness of the evening paired with the warm arms wrapped around her got the better of her. It was the warmth of his body curled around her that woke her, she was far too warm to continue sleeping. She didn't dare move though. She relaxed into his embrace and watched his innocent sleeping face, seeing his eyelashes fluttering, wondering what he was dreaming of.

Draco awoke slowly. He hurt in places he didn't know he had. He opened his eyes to be greeted with the warm brown eyes of Hermione. 'Good Morning' she said cautiously. 'How are you feeling?'

Draco stretched and groaned 'I feel like I've gone 10 rounds with a troll and lost.'

'So Granger, has your medical expertise worked? Am I back to normal?'

Hermione looked concerned.  
"No, I don't think so."  
Draco looked mildly alarmed.  
"What? How?"  
"Well you haven't said something nasty to me yet so I think you might still be gravely ill," she smirked.

'Haha, Granger! Seriously though, am I OK?'

'Your hand and face seem OK.' Hermione remarked in relief. 'Right, turn around so I can check your back.'

Draco turned around. Hermione gasped. Draco started to panic.

'oh Draco!' Hermione exclaimed.

"What? What is it?"  
"It's still really vicious-looking, you might want to take this with you, in case it gets painful again." She hands him her tub of salve and he takes it.  
"That's a great idea Granger but I can't reach back there," he replies snarky.  
"You'll just need to come back after lights out again then, won't you?"

'If you want to see me half naked again, Granger. You only need to ask.' Draco said in a low voice. 'On a serious note though, Thank you. Thank you so much, Hermione.'

She watched him shrug his shirt back on and felt blood rush to her cheeks at his sincerity. Or maybe it was his forward suggestion that had her feeling a little bothered.  
"Don't make me regret helping you Draco." He smiled wickedly at how easily he'd managed to rile her. She shoved his robes into his arms and ushered him towards the door.  
"So, tonight then?"  
"Yes," she answered hastily.  
"Shirt on or off?"  
She slammed the door in his smirking face.

Draco had decided to mess with Granger a bit more. He quite liked it when she blushed. So just after curfew he knocked softly on her door.  
When the door opened he announced 'I came prepared, Granger.' He stood there shirtless with only a soft pair of pyjama bottoms slung low on his hips. He had his arms out to the side, as if to say 'Ta-Da!'

Her widened eyes were his reward for his shenanigans, the pink flush returning to her cheeks. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside.  
"Get in here you idiot!" she snapped quietly. Draco allowed himself to be manhandled by her.  
"Wow, Granger, you're being very forward tonight."

'Just get on the bed, ferret' she growled.

'Yes ma'am' Draco saluted and went over to the bed.

If his father knew what he was getting up to with his nights at Hogwarts, he would be absolutely furious. Messing around shirtless with Granger after lights out certainly wasn't something he had predicted for himself either. But he couldn't help but enjoy the reaction he got from her, lying on her bed, eagerly waiting for her to touch him. It made him want to push his luck a little more.

And one day, when she was applying his salve, he did.

"I think it's spread, Granger."

She stopped. "To where?"

"My inner thighs have been absolutely killing me. I think you ought to give them a good look. Possibly my arse too."

She smacked him hard upon the back of the head. "You're incorrigible."

Okay, it wasn't his smoothest move but it did the trick. She was definitely flustered and Draco was thoroughly enjoying it.  
Unlike previous times, he didn't jump to leave right away. This time he lounged across her bed, wondering what she would do about it.

Hermione checked on his back. 'I think this is the last bit of salve you'll need. You're fully healed.' disappointment laced her words. Hermione will miss their clandestine meetings.

Her featherlight fingertips traced his lightly marred skin and to Draco it was as if her touch was burning him all over again. All his joking and teasing aside, he hadn't actually thought beyond this point. So used to seeing her in the secrecy of night, seeing her without her usual sharpness towards him, his heart sank like lead thinking about not having that anymore.

Draco decided to take a risk, a big risk. 'What if I want to come back?'

"What?"  
"You heard me."  
"You're being ridiculous Draco," Hermione brushed him off, busying herself with tidying up bits and bobs and other nonsense. When she wouldn't look at him, he moved over to her. He wrapped his hand around her wrist, just enough to stop her fluttering and he could feel her heartbeat racing under his fingertips.  
"Hermione ..." he whispered.

At the sound of her name, Hermione turned. She looked into his eyes. Her heart was racing, unspoken words transpired between them. In a heartbeat, their lips met.

Hermione's eyes fluttered closed and she felt herself melting into him, his arms snaking around her waist. At the sound of the smallest groan escaping her throat, her eyes snapped open and her brain took regained control of her body.  
"Draco!" She shoved him away from her, his arms empty and reaching at the loss of her body inside them, his stoney face flushed and his chest heaved with the weight of his breathing. Hermione's fingers went to her lips, tracing the electricity buzzing there.  
"I'm sorry," he panted. "I just-"  
He didn't get to finish his sentence. Hermione rushed forward, her arms flying around his neck and pulling him down to her for a bruising kiss.

All Draco could think of was Hermione. And that he was quite thankful that he forgot the Acromantula Venom.


End file.
